TRAUMAFESSIONS :: Kinderpal Mickster on the Kiss “Blood” Comic Book

I could do at least a hundred TRAUMAFESSIONS related to things my older brother did to me as a child, but really, who wants to read that? I will just share how my brother’s preoccupation with the rock group Kiss traumatized me. It was the ‘70s and my brother was crazy about Kiss, so of course he had all their records, etc. However, it was the purchase of the 1977 Marvel comic book that both terrified and intrigued me at the same time. As many children of the seventies recall, this comic book actually contained blood from all four members of Kiss. At the age of six, I found this concept frightening. Okay, it wasn’t really the blood from Paul, Peter, and Ace that I was scared of, it was Gene‘s blood. I mean, at that point in my life I really thought he was a demon. Naturally, Gene Simmons was my brother’s favorite member. He use to stick his tongue out like Gene to freak me out. Anyway, even though I was scared I couldn’t stop myself from constantly peeking at this comic book. I would have nightmares about that stupid thing, but then I would find myself looking at it again. Recently I started thinking about the comic book again and found a website where someone had scanned all the pages. Now I can relive my childhood trauma whenever I want.

UNK SEZ: Mickster, we must lead parallel lives, I too remember the salad days of KISS before the airing of KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK when they were still kinda terrifying. I also remember seeing KISS graffiti when I was a wee lad and thinking they were a mean gang who were going to kill me soon. I was particularly in awe of the album LOVE GUN both for it’s awesome COVER ART and this noise making toy surprise inside:

Too bad that they soon got so commercialized that it completely rubbed that mystique clean off. Let this be a lesson to all you aspiring scary rock stars out there, there is such a thing as over exposure. KISS eventually did recover from THIS and THIS but there’s no guarantee you will!

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6 responses so far ↓

Hell yeah, this is what I’m talking about! I idolized these guys in the 70s! Never once did I find them scary…totally badass, yes, but not scary. I think it’s so great that they actually frightened people!

My room was covered in KISS posters and my favorite was LOVE GUN…nothin’ sexier than babes in KISS makeup (I still believe that to this day).

…and really, KISS had a harder time recovering from THE ELDER than some silly toys.

I thought they were scary when I first saw them, I was a pretty weird, wimpy kid though, which is proven by the fact that Peter Chris was my favorite member. Worse still, Kate Jackson was my favorite Charlie’s Angel and I thought the filet o’ fish was better than the Big Mac. I was pretty much just begging to be beat up. At least I was smart enough to realize that Han Solo was cooler than Luke Skywalker.

Unkle Lancifer, I think we would have been best pals if we had grown up on the same street. On the subject of Peter Criss I quote the Family Guy, “No one wants to be Peter Criss. Even Peter Criss doesn’t want to be Peter Criss.” I guess I found Gene Simmons so scary because he was my brother’s favorite. I already thought my brother was the Devil himself since he had terrorized me from birth. I recently watched Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park and it is definitely good for a laugh. Does anyone remember when Kiss appeared on the Paul Lynde Halloween Special? I remember my brother asking my parents to let me stay up to watch because Kiss would be appearing. I wonder what genius decided to let Paul Lynde have a Halloween special?

KISS definitely scared the crap out of me for awhile. One of my friend’s older brothers was a KISS fan and seeing the posters up in his bedroom always freaked me out whenever I went by to hang out. I remember that the poster for the Dressed to Kill album was especially creepy to me. I also remember my friend’s brother throwing a fit the night that KISS Meets the Phantom aired because it was Halloween and we didn’t get finished with trick or treating in time to catch the very beginning of the movie. Funny how back in the pre-VCR, pre-TiVO, pre-DVR days how important it was to be at a TV when something you wanted to see was on. If you missed something, you were shit out of luck. This kid had the KISS comic, too, of course and I must’ve given it a look but I only vaguely remember it. I believe that maverick comic genius Steve Gerber (Man-Thing, Howard the Duck) wrote the script so it must have some quirky elements to it. Oh, and by the way Unk – my favorite Angel was Kate Jackson, too!

Those commercials are a kick! Even way back then Gene was out whoring himself for a buck (Has ANYONE ever done it more….or better?) I was never afraid of KISS or understood the appeal as a kid- not until I got older did I think KISS were pretty cool (and believe it or not that was during the No Make-Up Phase).
My husband gave me a Gene Simmons doll a few years ago. I am still waiting for him to buy the rest of the band (Cheap bastard!)
I have seen KISS a few times over the past few years and I must say my favorite part is the parking lot before the show where you see parents with their little kids…..and the little kids have the KISS make-up on!
By th eway, you guys are nuts…Jaclyn Smith all the way!